Tetanus can be a fatal infection. When the tetanus bacteria Clostridium tetani enters the body mostly through a wound, it can poison the body and proceed to attack the nervous system and muscles. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to get tetanus because even a small prick could introduce the bacteria to the body.
The good news is that tetanus is preventable with immunization. However, the tetanus shot comes with its fair share of side effects. You should expect some swelling and redness around the site of the injection and the indications for this range from mild to severe. In most cases, these secondary effects will disappear after a few days. Other side effects include slight muscle aches, mild fever, mild headache and some patients have complained about fatigue and feeling sickly for a day or two. These reactions will be felt for a short while and it is rare to see a patient having severe reactions to tetanus shots.
The side effects differ depending on the tetanus shot administered. For adults, there are two tetanus immunization shots that your doctor may inject and these are: Td and Tdap. We will be giving you a detailed review of their side effects below.
The following are some of the reactions you might experience after taking the Td vaccine.
Mild Side Effects:
The mild effects of Td vaccine may be uncomfortable but they will not deter you from carrying on with your normal daily activities. Pain is one of the major side effects and eight out of 10 patients report to feeling pain especially around the site of the injection. Swelling and redness is also common and approximately one in three of the patients who have had the Td vaccine report of these two side effects. Headache and fatigue are possible side effects though very uncommon. People also have mild fever as a side effect but it is highly uncommon.
Moderate Side Effects:
The moderate side effects of Td vaccine can hamper your ability to go on with your normal duties. The good news is that they are not severe to the point of requiring medical attention. These side effects include widespread swelling on the arm that was injected and high fever surpassing 102ºF. Cases of these reactions are extremely rare and in fact swelling is approximated to occur in only three out of 100 people that take the tetanus shot.
Severe Side Effects:
Now as the name suggests, severe side effects can be ruthless and would require you seek medical attention fast. These severe side effects include: extreme pain, redness, swelling and even bleeding on the arm that was injected. The patient may also get an allergic reaction however this is very rare with vaccines and the odds are one in a million cases.
The Tdap vaccine is also administered in adults and just like any other vaccine you could experience some side effects. It’s important to note that most side effects are mild and they don’t usually require medical attention.
Mild Side Effects:
Some of the problems patients could endure with Tdap vaccine include swelling and redness on the site of the injection. This is experienced by one in every five persons that take the shot. Headaches, fatigue, stomach ache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting could also be experienced and are more common in adolescents than adults. Pain is common around the injection site. What is not common yet has been reported is swollen glands, sore joints, body aches, chills and rashes. Some patients have developed a mild fever with temperatures within the range of 100.4ºF following the Tdap vaccine.
Moderate Side Effects:
The following side effects may be moderate but could interfere with your ability to perform certain tasks. These include pain, swelling and redness. Other side effects include nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache and a fever surpassing 107ºF. These side effects are not common.
Severe Side Effects:
In extremely rare cases, the patient could develop severe side effects. These include redness and bleeding along with swelling and intolerable pain. There is also the unlikely chance that the patient could get an allergic reaction from the vaccine though again, this is extremely rare. In fact the chances of an allergic reaction occurring are one in a million.
Children also get tetanus vaccination and the vaccine administered on the young ones is DTap. The chances of getting adverse side effects from DTap are extremely rare and below we are highlighting its mild, moderate and severe side effects.
Mild Side Effects:
Fever, swelling, redness and soreness are some of the mild side effects your child could encounter after the DTap shot. DTap is injected in various doses and it’s unlikely that your child will suffer from these side effects after the early doses. These reactions are common after dose four or five and the probability of their occurrence is one in every four children. Fussiness is common in children after the vaccine and the rare mild side effects include loss of appetite, fatigue and vomiting. In rare cases, the child may have extensive swelling on the arm or leg that was injected. These side effects normally occur a few days after the injection.
Moderate Side Effects:
These side effects are highly uncommon and they include non-stop crying and high fever of 105ºF, sometimes even higher. Seizures which include jerking and staring could also occur.
Severe Side Effects:
Less than one in a million DTap vaccines has resulted in permanent brain damage, reduced consciousness, coma and seizures.
Controlling fever in children is highly important especially those who have had cases of seizures in the past. The same also goes for adults who take tetanus shots. Fever can be easily reduced with non aspirin pain medication. It is important to inform your doctor of any side effects that you may experience especially those that last longer than a few days.